Lihu’e, Puhi and Hanama’ulu are likely to become beehives of activity in a short time due to the zoning approvals given by the Kaua’i County Council Thursday. The approvals, which allow for new work on Grove Farm Company properties in
Lihu’e, Puhi and Hanama’ulu are likely to become beehives of activity in a short time due to the zoning approvals given by the Kaua’i County Council Thursday.
The approvals, which allow for new work on Grove Farm Company properties in Lihu’e and Puhi, and the construction of First Assembly of God’s King’s Chapel church on 14 acres in Hanama’ulu town, will create jobs, give a boost to the economy and provide a greater sense of community in East Kaua’i, supporters of the projects say.
During its regular meeting at the Historic County Building, the Council approved Grove Farm Company’s zoning amendments. They include:
– Reconfiguration and expansion of the Puakea Golf Course from 10 to 18 holes. The Puhi company had already received approval to build all 18 holes, but lacked funding to complete work on the remaining eight holes, according to Kaua’i attorney Michael Belles, representing Grove Farm.
With Steve Case of AOL-Time Warner as the new owner of Grove Farm Co. and Lihue Land Company, development funds are now available and the company can move forward with plans drafted a decade ago, Belles said.
– Commercial use of 12 acres along Nawiliwili Road on which a former plantation manger’s home is located. The plantation-era home was severely damage by Hurricane ‘Iniki in 1992 and needs major renovation.
– The connection of Kaneka Road with Nohou Road, which will lead out to Nawiliwili Road closer to the Kukui Grove Shopping Center than was envisioned in an earlier plan.
Council members sought the work on Kaneka Road to significantly ease traffic congestion on Kaumuali’i Highway and Nawiliwili Road. The proposed work will provide motorists shortcuts in and around Lihu’e, the commercial hub of the island.
The plan now goes to Mayor Maryanne Kusaka for review and possible final approval.
If Kusaka gives the go-ahead, Grove Farm will apply for county building and grading permits and could begin work on expanding the Puakea course as early as May, said Michael Furukawa of Grove Farm Co.
Hanama’ulu town will also be the scene of construction work for a new church and related facilities following approval by the Council for a deletion of a zoning land condition related to the project.
The Council eliminated ordinance language that would have reverted the zoning of the church site – 14 acres mauka of Kuhio Highway in Hanama’ulu town – from industrial to agriculture use if the land was sold to a resort developer and used for resort purposes, said Belles, who represented the church.
Lawmakers approved that condition because of public concerns in the late 1980s that the land could be used for resort uses in a residential area.
However, the land was never sold to a resort developer and was in agricultural use – though the land lay fallow – when First Assembly bought the land from Amfac.
First Assembly, with main headquarters on Maui and branches on Kaua’i, plans to construct a church, a multi-purpose building, a school, a sanctuary, a recreational facility and a park for youth.
First Assembly, which currently conducts church services at ‘Ele’ele and at the Kaua’i Lagoons, sought out the project because it wanted a permanent church structure.
Staff writer Lester Chang can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 225) and mailto:lchang@pulitzer.net
